Birthday Season

October is a busy birthday month at the Madsen house.  It is a particularly good thing that Colt's birthday comes first because he has been counting down the days since Dash's birthday in July and when it was Daddy's birthday before his...let's just say his birthday has been a long time coming.

The kids spent most of October 20th throwing leaves every which direction and then the Bensen's came over that night for noodles, Colt's request.  Colt finally got to open presents, he had been waiting ALL day, and eat cake, he had been waiting for that ALL month.

Colt opening his birthday presents.  He got books and stickers, footballs and a soccer ball.

Colt trying to blow out the candles on his soccer ball cake.  He got a little nervous about the fire and wouldn't give the candles his full effort.

Five days after Colt's birthday is Sport's birthday.  This first birthday was even more exciting because Grandma and Grandpa Clayson arrived for a visit in time for birthday dinner.

Sport's first birthday cake was a football.  He wasn't at all nervous about the fire and was more interested in touching it than blowing it out.

Homecoming Week

This week was the Upton High School Homecoming.  Brandan likes to really get into these things, so he dressed up everyday.

Brandan dressed up like Mr. Incredible for the Disney Day at school.

On Friday, Brandan drove a tractor in the Homecoming Parade.  The boys were thoroughly impressed and more than a little jealous of, in fact down right mad at, the high school students.

Brandan driving the tractor for the Senior float.

To end the week, Brandan did the announcing for the football game.  Since it was a pretty cold night, the boys and I spent most of our time in the box as well.

It wasn't all play this week though.  On Saturday we went to Spearfish to pick up the rest of the wood for the fence.  Yes, it still isn't finished.  Yes, it has been a while.  Yes, we are one of those kind of people.

Dash and Colt helped stack the wood for the fence.  Sport supervised from his lion/trike.

A Day in the Life...

Typical Day At The Madsen House:

3:00 am - Colt wakes up and screams for someone to come "'nuggle" him.
6:00 am - Sport wakes up for a morning snack.
6:45 am - Dash wakes up for the day.
6:50 am - Brandan leaves for work.
7:30 am - Sport wakes up for the day.
9:00 am - Colt wakes up for the day.
9:10 am - 1st breakfast
9:25 am - Dash and Colt get out every car they own, about 213, and put in Disney's Cars movie.  They act out the entire movie using their cars and rewinding to watch their favorite parts more than once.
9:30, 10:00, 10:30 am - Dash and Colt yell at Sport for touching their cars.
10:30 am - 2nd breakfast
11:00 am - I attempt to accomplish something way too complicated for my household situation and skill level, like can peaches.  I spill water, drop fruit, turn down multiple offers of help from the boys, and eventually start a small stove fire.
11:30 am -  I stop everything I am doing to help the boys find "costumes" so they can look like various superheros. We print off Superman, Batman, and Spiderman logos, make different colored capes out of everything from towels to big T-shirts, use a lot of tape, and get out the winter boots.  I will do this several more times today.
12:00 pm - The lunch bells rings and Colt runs into the kitchen in a panic. "Oh no! It's lunchtime and we have to eat right now!"
12:30 pm - Dash and Colt get out the cars I just put away and categorize them according to color.  Then they line up the different colors across from each other and play car football.  They yell "hut" and the cars crash into each other, unless one of the cars manages to break through and make a run for it at which point all the other cars make chase until one of them catches the runner and tackles it.
1:00, 1:20, 1:40, 2:00, 2:20 pm - I go outside to water the grass seeds that we are really hoping will come up despite the near freezing temperatures.
2:30 pm - Sport wakes up from his nap.  He walks straight into the laundry room, gets a pair of silky garmets out of a dirty clothes basket, puts them over his head and walks around the room periodically running into furniture.
3:00 pm - The boys find a chocolate chocolate chip muffin mix and decide they can follow the picture directions on the back to make their own muffins.
3:02 pm - An egg is dropped on the floor.  Dash and Colt both claim innocence.  Sport walks through the yolk still wearing a garmet over his face.
3:25 pm - Brandan comes home from school to change for football practice.  Dash and Colt run to Brandan to give hugs.
3:26 pm - Sport finally makes it over to Brandan even though he started running at 3:25.  He still has a garmet over his head.
4:30 pm - The boys and I head out for a walk to get the mail and then meet Brandan after practice. The post office is less than .5 mile away, but it will take us nearly 20 minutes to get there because Dash and Colt have to race every car that passes. This entails them standing on the sidewalk in a 3 point stance waiting for a car to pass and then taking off at full speed right as the car comes up level with them.  They have yet to win, but they aren't discouraged.
5:15 pm - We meet Brandan at the practice field and all three boys high five the junior high football players as they head for the lockers.
5:30 pm - Back at the Junior High, the boys find the janitor that keeps tootsie rolls in her pocket.
6:00 pm - Home for dinner.
6:10 pm - Colt does something ridiculous that makes Dash laugh hard enough to choke. 
6:11 pm - Sport throws food on the ground.
6:12 pm - Colt tries to be serious which makes Brandan and I laugh and then he yells, "I NOT FUNNY!"
6:30 pm - Dash finds a football and asks his dad to play catch.  Soon a full scale football game is taking place in the living room. I'm not allowed to play.
7:00 pm - The three boys take a bath and compete to see who can splash the most water on the floor. Everybody wins.
7:45 pm - Scriptures, wrestling match, song, ball game, story, prayer, cups of milk, kisses and bedtime.
8:00 pm - Bathroom trip and then back to bed.
10:00 pm - Brandan and I fall asleep reading scriptures.


And in our free time:

Brandan made this sign for the Animal Sanctuary Family Day.

Sanctuary Sign

Sanctuary Sign

The boys all ready for church.  Dash told Brandan, "You look as good as me today."